


byproducts of dreams

by gracedbybattle



Series: new beginnings [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babies, Brothers, Childbirth, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Dynamics, Female Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gen, Mandalorian Culture, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24900682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracedbybattle/pseuds/gracedbybattle
Summary: There are two things that wait for no one: war and babies.Commander Cody of the 212th is well associated with the unpredictable timetable of war. But he’s about to get introduced to the latter.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: new beginnings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810051
Comments: 50
Kudos: 508





	1. Chapter 1

“He couldn’t have worse timing,” Obi-Wan groans. 

Cody snorts, startled out of his worry for the moment, carding a hand through her sweaty auburn hair. “He is your son, after all,” he says just to say something back. Whatever comfort he can lend here feels futile in the face of this mountain that Obi-Wan has to climb on her own. He continues his motion steadily, even though his hand shakes, hoping that it carries some semblance of comfort. 

“I know _cyare_ , I know,” he says even if he doesn’t. He can’t, he’ll never know what this is like. His life has been filled with painful moments, watching brothers die, see the life bleed out underneath his hands, taking a blaster bolt to the side. But this is something he doesn’t even have a scope to measure. 

Most of his worst moments have been spent with Obi-Wan by his side in the face of terrible odds. They faced down certain death more times than Cody can count. But they have always faced them together, side-by-side. Even if the talents of a Jedi and Commander run along different lines, standing back to back with his General is a familiar comfort. They protect each other. 

But this? This is all Obi-Wan. Cody can’t help her and the helplessness burns in his gut. She has held up remarkably well up until this point, calling on some source of Jedi strength to push through the worst of the pain. 

“Just a bit longer Master Kenobi,” the med droid chims clinically from the end of the bed and Cody nearly jumps out of his skin, so focused on the scene in front of him that he forgot the droid was even there. Obi-Wan laughs, a little manically tinged with something that sounds like tears. 

“You’ve been saying that the whole time,” she huffs, wincing as another pain rolls through. There are beads of sweat rolling off her forehead, strands of her longer bangs plastered to her face. The small amount of exposed chest that Cody can see is bright red with exertion, damp with perspiration. The lines on her face are carved deeply with pain, muscles tightly clenched.

It disturbs Cody more than he can say. 

His _riduur_ never betrays pain. It’s gotten them more than one avoidable trip to the medbay, when Obi-Wan was injured and never said anything. She tends to sit on her own wounds, treating them on her own and bearing the discomfort until she’s about the keel over. The past few hours alone, he has seen more proof of pain on the her face than in a lifetime of war. It speaks volumes. 

She’s been drawing on some form of Jedi strength for these last hours, attempting to slip into a faux meditation and searching for a center she can’t find. They gave up on that about an hour ago, resorting to more or less collapsing on the bed from shaking legs and griping Cody’s hand like an anchor. 

The whole experience has been a torture for Cody, helpless to do anything but ask angry questions to the medstaff and hold onto Obi-Wan like a lifeline. He can tell when it intensifies because the clench on his hand becomes almost unbearable, the strength of a Jedi maxed to the limit. He’s already positive he’ll have some significant bruising, maybe a cracked bone to deal with once this is all over. 

He could hardly care. It is a small burden to bear, compared to what Obi-Wan is suffering. 

“Almost there,” the med droid chirps from the food of the bed, monitoring their progress with clinical detachment. “Nearly there, Master Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan doesn’t dignify that with a response, just nods tearsely, almost to herself. She straightens on the bed for a fraction, half bent over at the waist as something crests within. The pain seems to build like a wave, slowly rolling up from the gut as all her muscles shudder and then she screams. 

The shock to his heart at the sounds feels like an electroblade and Cody clutches his hand back tighter as Obi-Wan practically smashes it between her fingers. His heart is hammering in his chest, wild with fear and quicker than a rabbit. He can’t remember Obi-Wan ever having made such a sound before, not even when she took a chunk of transparisteel to the side and spent a week in the bacta tank as a result. 

He chances a look to the back of the medbed and nearly blanches. The med droid is occupied under the sheet but there is no mistaking the bright red blood against the pristine white of the sheets. He immediately feels faint, like he could float right out of this small chair and onto the floor with the revelation of what is happening right in front of him. He can almost hear Rex laughing at him, the thought of the stalwart Commander blanching at the sight of blood. 

_Well,_ he thinks to himself, grim and gripping Obi-Wan’s sweat slick hand in his own. _This is not my usual battlefield._ Bandaging wounds and wrapping touriquents is one thing. This is something else entirely. 

The scream lasts a longer moment than Cody thought possible, cutting off as Obi-Wan reclines back against the bed and gaps a moment for air. Her eyes are clenched shut, breath shuttering through her open mouth like she can’t breath fast enough. Cody can’t think of anything to say to her to lessen the burden, so he rounds on the droid. 

“Can’t you give her anything?” he asks in a voice that is simmering with an undercurrent of fury. All the modern medicine in the world and what is the point of it all if they can’t spare Obi-Wan an ounce of this agony? 

“No Commander,” the droid monotones back at him, not glancing up from what it’s doing. Cody has half a mind to rip it’s circuits from the motherboard and chuck what remains out of the airlock. It’s patience is infuriating. “As I explained before, we have a very limited supply of medical supplies available, only to be used in extreme emergencies.” 

Cody bites off the retort building in his throat that says this is a damned emergency, anyone with eyes can see that. He knows millions of beings endure this type of pain everyday, that they live through it and they have for a millenia.

But they do not know Obi-Wan. They have not seen the woman in front of him shake off a spear to the side, walk away from an explosion with a smile, seen her knocked over and nearly killed so many times - but never seen her like this. 

“Cody,” the Jedi in question rasps, blue eyes open again and filled with something Cody can’t recognize. Fear, maybe. Her grip, which rises to a super human strength in the worst of the pain but is now slack, squeezes weakly, trying to get his attention. She probably wants to reprimand her Commander, tell him to stop berating the droid. But the words seem to stick in her throat, eyes searching Cody’s own. 

“One more and we’ll have it,” the droid chirps. 

“It’s not an it,” Cody snaps, unable to help himself. He has never felt so out of his element. “He.”

“We’ll have him then,” the droid corrects without an ounce of remorse. 

He can see the next wave beginning to build, almost in slow motion. Obi-Wan breath quickens, her entire frame going rigid as she leans forward, doubling over. She looks like she could collapse so Cody meets her halfway, pushing her head to lean against his shoulder. 

_Never again_ , he thinks silently, feeling the heat roll off his partner from the physical toil. _Never will we do this again, just get her through it._ If he were a weaker man he could call it begging, but he’s not, so he prays. _Please, please, just get her through it._

“Cody,” Obi-Wan said quickly like she couldn’t get the words out fast enough, breath hitched and she sounded strangled. Her eyes are widening, blue tinged with white and the pupils blown absolutely wide open. “ _Cody,_ ” like it’s the only word she knows. 

“I’m here,” he says because he can’t say anything else. “I’m here.”

“I don’t know how much more I-” is all she gets out before the wave crests again and she buries her head fully in Cody’s shoulder, pushing against him with all the strength she has left. She opens her mouth, throat raw and hoarse from crying out, and groans deep. She focuses on the hand held in her own, the feel of Cody’s shoulder against her forehead, the steady presence of her Commander at her side. Cody will never let anything happen to her. He’s her anchor. 

“One more like that and it’ll be all over,” the droid mutters and Obi-Wan wants so badly to laugh at the murderous gaze that Cody shoots it in response. She can almost feel the worry and anger rolling off him, clouded by the agony she can’t escape. 

Obi-Wan swallows, a taste of acid filling her mouth and tries desperately not to wretch as something burns deep within. It’s consuming her from the inside out, a fire scotching her insides and flaying her alive. She can feel it building again, already. She feels weaker than she can ever remember before. 

The sensation rolls back, the urge to clench overwhelming her with a visceral burst of pure pressure and it builds and builds and builds until she can’t keep it at bay any longer and she screams again, louder than all the rest. She screams through the pain, the stretch and the godawful tear that follows it until she feels something slip from herself and her voice breaks as it ends. 

Cody is still clutching her hand, running a thumb back across her knuckles in a repeated motion as Obi-Wan gasps and a wail pierces the air, crystal clear and loud as a bell. Obi-Wan struggles to push herself up enough to see, but her exhausted muscles won’t support her. She can feel a tiny ball in the Force, a bright glowing presence in the room that wasn’t there before. It calls to her, beacons her like a line drawn through the heart. 

The med droid putters behind the barrier, clearly cradling the source of the noise. Cody’s eyes have left her to stare at the droid, eyes practically begging for it to hand it over. 

“One second, one second,” the droid chimes as though it can feel the Commander’s impatience bearing down upon him. It probably can. Cody is looking at the droid like a thundercloud, anxious eyes tracking every movement. The room is silent save for Obi-Wan’s labored breathing and the wails of an infant. 

The moment seems to last forever, though it’s probably no more than a few seconds, before the droid wheels from behind the barrier, a blanketed bundle in its long arms. He gives Cody a wide berth, approaching the other side of the bed entirely and places the parcel on Obi-Wan's chest. She reaches up to pull it into her arms, shaking with the effort. Cody is staring at the two of them, dark eyes huge. 

“Congratulations Master Kenobi,” the droid announces, already being to whirl away. “You have a son.”

She pulls back the blanket so Cody can see as she hitches the infant into her arms, limbs trembling slightly with the effort. The baby’s cries have tampered off at being placed in his mother’s arms, as though he can sense who it is that’s holding him. His cries have dissolved into soft whimpers, eyes squeezed shut against the bright lights of the medbay. 

His skin is still flushed a pinkish red, but Cody thinks he can see a darker tone underneath, a tone more similar to his own than Obi-Wan’s. The smattering of hair on his head is dark, though it could be a play of the light rather than it’s true hue. But when he finally stops squinting enough to get a good look at his eyes, they are a familiar shade of blue. 

The room is quiet except for the droid puttering about and the silence is otherworldly, as though the rest of the universe no longer exists. Cody stares at the baby, raising his free hand to place against the baby’s cheek. His child stares at him, bleary and confused at this new world so different from the dark warmth he’s used to. His eyes are unfocused and they stare at something Cody can’t see but they are blue. The richest, purest blue, just like his mother’s. 

“Hello little one,” Obi-Wan says hoarsely, staring right at their son. Her hair is disheveled, damp bangs falling into her eyes, sweat cooling on her skin and a baby in her arms. She’s never looked more beautiful. “We’re so glad to finally meet you.”

Cody leans across the bed, staring at his son with thunderstruck awe. The baby is tiny, his whole head could probably fit in Cody’s hand. In the back of his mind numbers are running, analyzing and strategizing. He knows that he was born earlier than they’d wanted and it may require a stay in the med center for the whole lot of them. 

They’re going to need a crowbar to separate the three of them because Cody is not going anywhere. The war be damned. Mandalore can fend for itself, for all he cares. 

“Here,” Obi-Wan shifts her hold to Cody, placing their son in his arms. He can see the way she shakes with fatigue. “Take him before I drop him.”

“You would never,” he responds almost automatically, taking the infant into his own arms. The small, warm weight is like a balm on his frayed heart, a knot of anxiety that has tightened and tightened for the past hours finally loosening. He cradles the baby against his chest, eyes drinking it in. It’s overwhelming. 

“Hello _ad’ika_ ,” he breathes, the word rolling off his tongue easily. Obi-Wan is watching them both, leaned back against the pillows. Her parlor is still stark white, cheeks red from exertion, but she’s smiling. She tenses unexpectedly and Cody jerks from the baby up to see what’s wrong, but the moment is gone in an instant. Obi-Wan’s face smoothes over in relaxation and the droid Cody wanted to dismember earlier beeps at them. 

“All done now!”

“I’m fine,” Obi-Warn reassures him, placing a hand over his and squeezes once in reassurance. “Just forgot about that last part.”

“Surely you have been through enough,” Cody responds, the adrenaline of the day starting to crash into something that reminds him of a post-battle scenario. The past hours have been a living hell and though it's worth it for this moment alone with the three of them, if he doesn’t get to sleep and eat something before the next rotation he will not be responsible for burning this station to the ground. 

Obi-Wan just chuckles at him, soft and fond, her eyes watching their son. “I have to agree with you, my dear.”

The droid breaks the moment by bustling back over to them, holding its mechanical arms out. “I need to take him for a moment to clean him up and perform the post-delivery analysis.” Cody nearly clocks it. If it thinks it’s taking this baby away from either of them anytime soon, it’s got another thing coming. 

“Cody,” Obi-Wan breaks in and she looks a little lost, like the idea of being separated from their son right now is unbearable. He barely refrains from gnashing his teeth at the droid. 

“Hey,” a quiet, familiar voice breaks through and Cody looks up to see Kix standing next to them and feels extremely baffled. When did he even get in here?

“I do need to look him over, just to make sure nothing is wrong,” his brother says and Cody feels a little foolish for thinking about refusing. The rational part of his brain knows that everyone here wants to help them, but he’s having a hard time being rational right now. He hesitates for one more second before transferring the baby into Kix’s arms, giving the droid a wide berth as he does so. 

“Just a few minutes,” he says, going for stern but probably falling somewhere around anxious. “Bring him right back.”

Kix rolls his eyes, unable to pass up the opportunity to silently mock this famous crack in his brother’s unflappability. “I’ll be right back.” He beckons the med droid and it follows them to the adjacent room, out of sight.

Obi-Wan tracks them until they’re gone, body turned to their path almost unconsciously. Cody presses as close to her as the bed will allow, pressing a hand against her shoulder. He can feel his _riduur_ sag against his hand with a small sigh and his heart feels raw. 

“I’ll tear the whole place to pieces if they’re not back in five,” he promises, feeling bolstered by his own words. The helpless feeling he’s been festering on for the last few hours is turning into a protective strength, a need to put himself between Obi-Wan, the baby and the rest of the world. He wants to sweep them both up and lock them away in a quiet room while they recuperate. At least until his nerves have settled. 

Obi-Wan snorts, eyes falling shut. “I have no doubt.” She relaxes back against the medbed, looking wrung dry. She shifts on the bed and stifles a groan, as though the movement flares another pain in her. Her skin is pickled with chills as the sweat cools and Cody pulls a blanket around her.

“I feel like I've gone six rounds with a gundark,” she admits, wincing. 

“He’s not quite that big,” Cody musses, brushing the long bangs out of her face. “Quite a bit smaller than a gundark, actually.”

“Well, he felt like one,” Obi-Wan grouses back at him, as though she’s taking comfort from their easy conversation. “Like he could split me in half.”

“He’s smaller than I expected,” Cody continues, tracking the lines down his partner's face. “I could lift him in one arm.”

“I don’t think I can even lift a hand,” Obi-Wan responds. She slowly lifts her right arm to demonstrate, watching as it trembles in the air. “I may need a few days out of the field.”

Cody snorts at her, his fondness overwhelming the irritation he feels at his General’s inability to ever rest and recover. He isn’t letting Obi-Wan out of his sight for the foreseeable future and by the gods, she is going to _rest._ She’ll be lucky if he even lets her look at a datapad. 

“I think an extended leave is in our future,” he reasons and Obi-Wan just hums in response. They sit in silence for a moment, the quiet almost reverent in the face of the whole day. Even given a backlog of battles, this has been the most stressful day of Cody’s life. He cannot imagine ever going through such a thing again.

Thankfully, Kix must know that Cody is close to the breaking point and is taking his five minute deadline very seriously, because he walks back in the room because Cody can begin to think about coming after them. “All done,” he says, delivering the baby back to Obi-Wan directly, smiling at the two of them. “He’s perfectly healthy, if a little undersized.”

“No problems?” Cody thinks to ask, attention back on the baby. He looks a little fussy but settles against his mother’s chest immediately. Obi-Wan exhales deeply, holding the baby against her and breathing deeply. She looks grounded. 

“Not a bit,” Kix replies easily, clicking away at a pad. He quirks an eyebrow at Cody as the other man notices the absence of the med droid. “I heard you threatened to chuck the droid out of an airlock.”

“I did,” Cody respondes, without a bit of shame and a knowing look. “And I’d do it again. His bedside manner is terrible.” 

“I got here as quickly as I could,” Kix protests. “It’s not my fault you have the worst timing in the whole kriffing galaxy.”

Cody isn’t mad at him, not really. Kix is famous for his contempt of droids, enough to literally wear it on his skin, but these were extreme circumstances. He knows his _vod_ would have been here if it’d been possible. 

Obi-Wan clears her throat, the sound scratchy. “He must get that from me,” she muses, stroking a hand down the downey blanket. “Cody is always where he needs to be when I need him.” 

“Thank the stars for that,” Kix mutters without looking up from his pad. “Somebody needs to be.” He clicks away for a moment, letting the silence soak the air as the other two stare at the new baby, transfixed. He can already tell that Cody would tear the arms off of any living thing, or droid, that tries to take this baby away from them. Obi-Wan, typically more of the diplomat than her Commander, is certainly of the same mind. 

“You came out of everything fine, but we’ll keep you monitored for quite a while, in case there are any complications. I’ll have someone move you to a more comfortable room soon,” he glances up to see the two of them staring back at them and amends, “Both of you.”

Cody nods, satisfied, taking the baby away from Obi-Wan as she seems taxed beyond all belief and drifting towards sleep. He sits as close to the medbed as he can without climbing on it entirely, angling their son so they can both see him. 

“One more thing,” Kix stops before he leaves to grab a tech. The quicker they can get the three of them in a private area, the better. Cody won’t settle until he’s sure they’re away from prying eyes and Kix can’t blame him. Everyone will want a look at this little one soon. 

“Have you settled on a name?” 

Obi-Wan meets Cody’s eyes over the head of their new baby and smiles, something soft and bittersweet in her eyes as she stares at their newborn. “Jinn. Jinn Kenobi.”

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex arrives to meet the newest member of the family.

It’s already well into the night cycle when Rex finally sets foot on the _Negotiator_ and practically sprints for the medbay. 

The absolute audacity of this situation shouldn’t surprise him, but there always seem to be a myriad of problems that dog both Torrent and Ghost company. It figures that the most personally anticipated event of the war would parlay directly on the curtails of a major offensive in the Outer Rim sieges. He’d dispatched Kix as quickly as possible because the plan all along was to have someone both Obi-Wan and Cody trusted implicitly to be there, but he knows they were too far out to get there in time.

He wonders if Cody punched someone during the whole process. He’d bet a few credits.

Rounding the corner, he barely restrains himself from running into the assigned room. 

Obi-Wan is asleep on the medbed, looking more wan and exhausted than Rex can ever remember seeing before. Her skin is pale, limp bangs brushed against her forehead and out of her eyes. It’s still burnished a brilliant copper, but clings to her skin like it’s as tired as she is. The General is deeply asleep, face relaxed in pure exhaustion, dark purple circles etched under her closed eyes. Her chest rises and falls under a multitude of blankets. The room is softly lit, quiet and still. 

He shakes his gaze away from the General to find his older brother watching him quietly from a chair on the other side of the bed. His familiar face, rugged scar twisting around his left eye, is calm and his eyes light at the sight of Rex. In his arms in a swaddled bundle and Rex’s breath catches in his throat. 

He knows what it is and he still can’t quite believe it. 

“Cody,” he breathes, quiet enough to not wake the General. He sets his bucket on the floor, picking his way around the bed to his brother's side. Cody's face cracks into a rare smile.

“Hey, _vod,”_ he rasps, voice throaty. As he gets closer, Rex can see his dark eyes are warm with emotion. “Come meet your _vodu’ad.”_

Cody extends his arms as Rex kneels to his side, carefully setting the precious buddle in his arms. The baby is tiny, not that Rex has held that many babies before, but the sheer fragility of it clenches his heart. The baby’s skin tone is darker than Obi-Wan, closer to Rex and his brothers. A thick patch of dark hair on the tiny head is already beginning to curl at the ends, so similar to Cody’s own tightly controlled short curls. 

He strokes a finger against the sleeping baby’s hand, marveling at the soft skin and doing his best to not collapse in tears out of sheer emotion. It’s a hard fight against the lump rapidly building in his throat. 

“A boy?” he asks, looking at Cody. That’s what the scans had said, but they’re not always accurate. Obi-Wan, ever apprehensive about the future, had cautioned to wait, rather than they jinx the whole thing. 

“He,” Cody clarifies, unable to keep a proud smile from growing on his face. He looks happier than Rex has ever seen him since the war started, in this quiet room with the three of them. “His name is Jinn.”

“Jinn Kenobi,” Rex says to test it out, watching the tiny baby start stir to wakefulness in his arms. He’s helpless to stop the smile splitting his face open with joy. “It suits him.” 

Cody hums agreement, attention flipping back between his brother and the medbed. His brother’s usually stoic face has softened into a heartbreakingly gentle smile. Hands now free, he has one of Obi-Wan’s hands in his own, running his thumb back and forth along the back of his _riduur’s_ knuckles. Touch has always grounded Obi-Wan, even asleep.

“She picked it out, since she did all the work,” he says with a nod at Obi-Wan. “Seemed appropriate.”

Rex huffs a soft laugh. “I’ll say.”

He knows damn well Cody wouldn’t have cared what they named his son, as long as both he and Obi-Wan were healthy. He casts another eye over the General, soundly asleep on the bed. “Everything went okay?” 

Cody sighs, shoulders melting a little lower on his frame. “It was hellacious, but they came through okay.” He pulls the thickest blanket up, tucking it a little more securely around Obi-Wan’s shoulders. “A hell of a lot of bleeding, they told me that wasn’t unusual. But they’re going to monitor for a few days to be safe.”

Rex nods, eyes back on the tiny charge in his arms. The conversation is bringing little Jinn around, tiny eyes clinching and squinting, like he’s protesting his sleep being disturbed. Rex cuddles him a little closer to his chest. 

He’d been hearing the same mantra from Kix in the last few weeks, but it’s one thing to hear about a birth abstractly and another to see it in reality. He can only imagine the scene and winces a little at the mental image. A furiously worried Cody can tip towards angry, especially where Obi-Wan is concerned. 

He mentally raises the probability that Cody punched someone.

"Kix?" he asks, hoping his medic escaped the bulk of the carnage, if there was any. 

Cody snorts. "He didn’t get here until it was over, but he did the post-op," he says, the edges of his eyes a little harder than before. "He said everything looked fine."

He isn't looking at Rex or the baby, choosing instead to brush a hand through his _riduur's_ long bangs. His gaze is impossibly fond, not that Obi-Wan is awake to see. "Can’t blame him. Not his fault someone has the worst kriffing timing in the galaxy."

"You can say that again," Rex agrees, remembering the fear he'd felt when he'd received the com from Cody mid-battle, the _yes now, it's happening now,_ that sent tendrils of ice through his veins. 

He shifts the baby a bit higher in his arms to see as the infant begins to wake, stirring more in his blanket. Large, unfocused eyes finally open and blink up at him and oh _,_ the color. His heart soars a little at the brilliant shade of blue. 

There are so many _vod_ in the galaxy, so many men that already share Cody's face. He'd confided to Rex once, months ago, that if he could have one thing, he'd have their child resemble Obi-Wan instead of himself. It was the one thing he'd allowed himself to admit to wanting.

Intellectually, he knows human babies are born with blue eyes that change and settle to their normal color later in life. But something about this particular shade strikes a cord in his heart, something about them as familiar as Cody’s own. He says a small prayer to the Force quickly, to give his brother this one thing and keep their son's eyes to match his mother. 

"Hey kid," he greets as the child stares at him, this new and unfamiliar person. Gods, but he already loves this little soul. This warm, small weight in his arms - he could cut through the entire Seperatist Army himself, if only to keep this tiny child safe.

Jinn, blue eyes wandering the room without much direction, opens his mouth in a small yawn, gums smacking. Little fists escape the confines of his blanket and wave in the air, like he can't figure out who they belong to. He watches Rex for a long moment before he begins to fuss, wiggling around in his hold and whining. 

“He’s probably hungry again,” his brother mutters, stepping forward before Rex can even turn to him for help, like he can feel the baby's stress before it presents. 

“ _Kaysh guur' skraan,_ ” Cody says to Rex, a small smile tugging at his lips, scoping the infant out of Rex’s hold, his hand cupping the back of the baby's head to support it and stroking softly. 

Cody shifts Jinn into his arms higher, up against his shoulder, and begins rocking slowly side to side to quiet him. He mutters soothing _mando'a_ as he rocks, tendrils of sound that Rex can just barely make out and Jinn settles almost immediately in his arms. Rex stares at him in wonder, another soft smile breaking across his own face, marveling a little at how easily the stalwart Marshal Commander of the 212th has fallen into this new role. 

Rex knew, in the back of his mind, that Cody fits into a parental role easily. He's protective, loving, and kind when given the opportunity. The war hasn't given him much of a chance to showcase those qualities, but Rex and Cody have history, going back as cadets on Kamino. 

There were days when the command training was hard for young boys, hard enough to break. Jango Fett was no nursemaid and he trained them to fight, not to love. 

_Kote_ had naturally fallen into a shepherding role, taking younger cadets under his wing and guiding them along when they struggled. Rex was a benefactor of Cody's attention. He can recall many nights when he crawled into the older cadets bunk, exhausted and frightened, and tucked himself trembling against Cody's side, seeking his comfort, the safety of solid arms around him to sleep. 

He's seen the softer side of his _ori’vod,_ the pieces behind the curtain that only the closest are allowed to witness. Obi-Wan in particular has always been good at pulling the gentler nature of her commander out into the open. Rex knows that Jinn will be the same. 

Even now, as Cody soothes his child, his voice is incredibly gentle. 

" _K'uur, k'uur_ ," he whispers against Jinn's soft dark hair, tucking the soft blanket a little more firmly around him. He tosses Rex a look over his shoulder, mindful to keep his motions the same. The baby's whines have softened into tiny whimpers, momentarily sated at being in his _buir’s_ arms. 

"Kix wants us here for at least a few days," Cody says, starting a slow circle back to the medbed. He’s eyeing Rex as he says it, infusing the look with everything unspoken. Because he doesn't just mean the _Negotiator._ He means off the battlefield, in this room, under the watchful eyes of at least half a dozen medics. 

There is no precedence for this. The child born from a high ranking clone officer and a renowned Jedi master will practically be a shining beacon of attention. Not to mention there has been very little study on the reproductive abilities of the clones troopers because, well, they weren't designed with longevity in mind. 

Rex knows, as one of Cody's closest _vod_ , that the pregnancy suffered the standard complications for a force sensitive child. As if the entire situation hadn’t already been delicate enough. 

That little Jinn is here, alive and whole, is a miracle all on it's own.

A force sensitive infant, born amid a galaxy-wide war to two of its most highly regarded and recognized leaders? It’ll be an incredible feat if it’s not on the holonet already. 

"Sounds like you're both due leave," Rex says shrewdly and Cody levels him with a look. He inclines his head at Obi-Wan, asleep but surely stirring it a state of awareness at their conversation, on the bed. She’ll need to wake soon to placate their hungry infant, but he can tell Cody is trying to delay the inevitable, to steal as much sleep for the General as he can.

Obi-Wan never sleeps enough, Cody’s words, but Rex agrees with him, and they have a long road ahead of them. Meditation and cat naps are not going to cut it. She’s going to need all the rest she can get. 

Rex loves his Jedi, loves Skywalker and Tano both, but the General of the 212th has a soft spot in his heart. Any of the _vode_ that have met her do. "We'll have our hands full keeping her on bedrest."

"We?" Cody asks, but there's no reproach in his voice. If anything, he looks immensely relieved. 

Rex snorts. "Like I'm going to leave you to handle this on your own." He grins, a little lopsided at his brother and his new nephew. "You're gonna need all the help you can get,” he says to Cody’s raised brow. 

Obi-Wan has never been good about looking after herself, and that role fell early to Cody. It’s one he’s good at, and usually, Rex’s sensible older brother can be counted on to care for himself and his General in good measure. But Jinn is new to this balance, and Rex has no doubt that the two of them would already lay down their own lives to protect their tiny child. 

So that's where Rex will come in. He's going to look after them all. He's going to shield them from as many scrutinizing glares as possible, dig Cody out of his own head if he needs it, make sure the two new parents both eat as much as their new baby. He's not going to let them run themselves into the ground protecting their child from the Council, the GAR, the Republic itself. 

Rex is a loyal soldier. But he is also a brother. And _aliit_ will always come first. 

Cody is watching him, and the gratitude is evident in his eyes. He clears his throat and his next words as sure and strong, if a little rough with emotion. 

"We’ll do it together,” he says and Rex nods. Jango Fett may have raised them to be warriors, but he raised them to be Mandalorian warriors. And there is no bond stronger than this. 

Cody’s arms are full, so Rex takes the initiative. Steps close into his brothers circle and grasps his forearm with intent. Brings their foreheads together for a moment and just breathes, Jinn between them. 

Cody presses his forehead back to Rex’s own and exhales deeply for a moment, safe in this place with the three beings he would most quickly die for. They’re all safe here, his family, and he can let his guard down around Rex. They’re _aliit._ They’ll always protect each other. 

“ _Gar taldin ni jaonyc, gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la_ ,” Rex says and Cody chokes at the words, startled. Cody’s reaction tells him that he guessed right, they were the right ones, and perhaps the only vulnerability his brother feels. He could say the same thing in basic, but it doesn’t have the same weight.

Besides, if they’re going to teach Jinn their mother tongue, they may as well start early. 

He takes a moment to let the moment sink in his mind, the soft lighting of the room, the quiet peace of the four of them all together. Let Cody be the sea for a moment, emotions as strong and tumultuous as the waves, and Rex the rock.

“ _Vor’e_ ,” Cody whispers to him, heartfelt. Rex squeezes his arm in response with no more need for words. He’s said what needed to be said. Even Jinn is quiet, nothing but the near silent sound of air circulating through the room. 

If the war ends, if they win this fight for the Republic, the Jedi will fight for the clones rights as Republic citizens. Anakin and Obi-Wan have both promised as much, and Rex trusts their word to his very soul.

He knows from talking to Wolffe that Plo Koon has already started garnering support politically with Senators Organa and Amidala, and that Aayla Secura and Depa Billaba are at their side. They’re going to make sure their troops can have a life outside of this war. 

And the end of the war is near. He can feel it. 

Cody pulls back, his older brother’s eyes on him, that gaze just as solid and sturdy as when they were cadets. Rex, who’s spent years of practice watching him, reading him, knows what he’s thinking. 

If they can win the war, and they can, Rex believes it, then this is the life that awaits them. No battleplans, or muddied trenches or protein cube rations. A life beyond, with families that they chose. This is what they're fighting for, the future of this tiny baby cradled in Cody’s arms and a million more. 

And now, more than ever, he's determined to win. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> vod: brother  
> vodu'ad: nephew  
> riduur: spouse/husband/wife  
> kaysh guur' shraan: 'he loves his food,' affection way to say someone has a good appetite  
> Kote: glory, Cody's name in mando'a  
> ori'vod: older brother  
> k'urr, k'urr: hush, hush  
> buir: father or parent  
> aliit: family or clan  
> gar taldin ni janyic: 'nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be.' Mando saying emphasising the importance of a father's role  
> vor'e: thank you


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stay away from this au, it's true

The world reoriented itself in blinks and blurs. Obi-Wan squints against the darkness behind her eyelids, blinking past the fog and waits for awareness to settle before opening her eyes fully and looking around.

The first thing she notices is that the first edges of dawn are creeping against the sky, painting the grey morning with faint splashes of color. There's a large window to the west to let the light in. It’s a new day, Jinn’s first day with them and she doesn’t want to miss it.

She doesn’t have to look for her son for long.

He’s wrapped safely in her _riduur’s_ arms, Cody standing at the foot of her bed facing the window. It gives her a full view of the two of them and she can feel the contentment from both her husband and her baby, their signatures peaceful in the Force.

Cody’s expression is openly tender, using both hands to cradle their baby. One hand is cupping the side of their newborns head, placed against the crook of his neck to support it. His thumb is stroking a rhythmic motion against soft baby curls. 

There’s one other familiar force signature in the room and Obi-Wan let’s her gaze follow it to the cot in the corner. Captain Rex is sprawled over it, stripped down to his blacks and snoring softly. She must have been asleep when he arrived and the thought makes her smile. Rex is just as much a member of their family as Jinn is. 

Cody hasn’t noticed her alertness yet and Jinn is still asleep, so she takes the moment to just watch them.Watch the way Cody’s is slowly rocking from one side to the other, humming softly under his breath in a melody that she recognizes as _mando’a_ but doesn’t know the words to. 

It’s a softly domestic scene, one she thought they’d never see.

There was no guarantee she’d ever successfully deliver, no matter how careful they were, during a war. Kix had been concerned she’d ever carry even close to term. 

There were scares and complications along the way, more well managed once they realized the baby was force sensitive, but they made it. Her son is here and he’s perfect. She couldn’t ask for anything more. 

A shift on the bed rustles the sheets and Cody turns to her immediately, almost like he was listening for her. He probably was. The expression on his face is sweet and open and he smiles.

“Hey,” he says softly and oh, how she loves the sound of his voice. Deep with a hint of gravel, so well known and beloved. “How’re you feeling?”

She smiles back at him, “Much better,” she admits truthfully, feeling grateful for the healers and her practice at self healing in the past months. She already feels less bruised, on just a few hours of sleep. At this rate, maybe she can be functional in a week's time. It might convince Cody to let her out of bed rest ahead of schedule.

A look at her husband's face tells her he already knows what he’s thinking. He shakes his head, but it’s fond. 

“Stubborn,” he admonishes. It looks like Cody means to continue but the weight in his arms shifts and whines, a tiny sound and has Obi-Wan sitting up without thinking. The quick motion sends a sharp pain through her pelvis and she winces, settling back against the pillows.

An emotion flickers across Cody’s face. He saw it, he doesn’t miss anything, but doesn’t comment. 

“Shh,” he mutters, stepping around the side of the bed and settling next to Obi-Wan on the mattress, facing her. “Don’t upset your mama,” he chides playfully and her heart clenches with the word.

Because that’s who she is now. Not longer just a General, a Jedi or a wife. But a mother. 

Cody carefully places Jinn in her arms and she brings him to her chest, breathing a strange relief at having him in her arms. Her baby immediately settles at the warm feeling of her skin against his and sighs, a tiny noise. 

She closes her eyes and just breathes deeply for a moment, anchored by the weight of Jinn in her arms and the absolute peace in the air. It’s a precious feeling.

Without even looking, she can feel Cody’s gaze on them, ever watchful, but tinged with something she’s never felt before. Joy is pouring off him, mixed with pride and a low shimmer of protectiveness. He’s been wound incredibly tight for the last two days, but now seems settled since they’re been granted privacy from prying eyes. Cody feels...at peace. 

Her heart has never felt so full.

She opens her eyes and Cody is an arm's lengths away and suddenly she can’t stand the distance. She balances Jinn against her chest with one arm and reaches for him with the other. 

“Come here,” she says, voice suddenly thick with emotion. 

Cody is moving almost as the words leave her mouth, like he can’t bear the distance either and was only waiting for an invitation to bridge the gap. 

He sits against her side, the warmth of his body pressed along her leg. The contact is soothing. 

Jinn stirs and blinks awake at the two of them, big blue eyes unfocused. He stares for a moment and then yawns, lids slipping shut. 

“He’s beautiful,” Cody breathes. His voice has never sounded so awed. It’s husky with emotion, like he still can’t believe this is real. “He’s so beautiful, _cyar'ika._ ”

“That’s because he looks like you,” Obi-Wan says. She feels deeply satisfied that Jinn inherited Cody’s complexion and dark hair. At least only one of them will be getting sunburnt on a tropic planet.

“Like both of us,” Cody corrects, bringing his face to hers. His eyes are full of warm affection. He presses his mouth to hers for a long moment and she presses back, insides honey bright. He pulls back from the kiss to nuzzle her face, brushing noses gently. It’s enough to make Obi-Wan melt from the sweetness.

They’ve been together a while now, but Cody still surprises her sometimes with the depth of his emotion, the sheer volume of his affection and love. It runs unchecked through the Force, flowing to her like a river. In these quiet places, he has no problem showing it. 

“Has he been up much?” she asks, wondering how much has happened while she was asleep. 

Cody shakes his head. “Not much. He’s quite a sleeper. I did get some formula into him about an hour or so ago, but he wasn’t very fond of it.”

Obi-Wan frowns. “You could have woken me,” she says. It seems like something she should point out. 

Cody raises an eyebrow. “After what you’ve been through and you think I’m going to wake you up for anything less than an emergency?” He shakes his head. “You needed the rest. Kix suggested it, said he’ll have to get used to it sooner or later.”

It’s a logical explanation. She knows that the delivery was a different experience for Cody, however painful it was for her. He was powerless to do anything but watch, and she knows him well enough to understand how difficult that must have been. 

_We’re in for it now, little one,_ she thinks, pushing the thought to Jinn, even though he won’t understand it. Not yet. _He’s_ _going to be even more protective than usual. Of the both of us._

A rumble from her own stomach breaks her thoughts and Cody laughs. “You need to eat too,” he says, standing up and stretching. She wants to pull him back, and admonishes herself for the weakness. 

It’s just - Cody is her rock. Her protector even if she doesn’t really need one, her right hand man, her partner.

Yesterday was the most challenging, draining and bewildering day of her life and he was right there the whole time, never wavering. Obi-Wan still feels exhausted beyond measure, like she’s standing on shifting sand, and Cody is her bedrock. 

Being separated from him or Jinn still feels physically painful.

Something must show in her eyes because Cody’s gaze softens and he lays a hand against her shoulder to squeeze once. 

“I won't be gone long,” he says quietly, picking up on her anxiety. She wishes she cared enough to be ashamed, but it never feels that way with Cody. They can be vulnerable around each other. “Just going to tell Kix you’re awake. He had some very specific ideas about your first meal.”

“I imagine he does,” she says and starts to say more before Jinn starts to fuss. His little head moves against her chest, little mouth open and searching. 

“Seems we’re all a little hungry,” Cody says, the edges of his mouth quirking up. He leans down quickly to brush a kiss against their son’s hair. “I’ll be right back,” he promises and slips through the door.

“That’s your _buir_ ,” she tells Jinn, adjusting him to pull back her tunic. “Always looking out for me.” 

She situates him against her chest and it takes a minute to get him to latch on. The sensation is still strange, new and almost uncomfortable, but it does ease the pressure there, so she’s getting used to it.

Jinn makes hungry little noises as he feeds, eyes blinking up at her. Obi-Wan strokes a finger down his face, pure wonderment at how soft the skin is. It seems he’s happier to feed from her than the bottle. 

“You’ll have to get used to both, dear heart,” she says in a teasing confidential whisper. “I hope you’re not as stubborn as your father.”

“Who’s stubborn?” a rough, sleepy voice from across the room echoes and she looks up to see Rex finally awake, pushing himself up from the cot and massaging at his eyes with one hand.

Rex isn’t a morning person and is barely human before his first cup of caf. Cody loves to tease him about it. 

He finally orients himself enough to notice they’re the only ones in the room. “I can leave,” he says quickly, too practical to be embarrassed but polite all the same. “If you’d like.”

Obi-Wan rolls her eyes at him. “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re perfectly welcome here. You’re a part of this family too.”

He flushed at that, just a touch, enough that she knows he’s pleasantly surprised and pleased by the reaction. Rex is Cody’s closest brother, his _vod’ika_ , and she trusts him just as much as she trusts her husband.

She has very little memory of anything that happened after they were settled into this room last night, she dropped off like a stone and left Cody completely to his own devices with the baby. There’s a touch of guilt at the idea of abandoning Cody to the first night with their newborn alone, but she knows her rest was well deserved. And it looks like he wasn’t alone, he had Rex with him. Jinn’s _ba'vodu_. 

It warms her to know what a strong, loving family unit Jinn already has. He’ll never want for anything. If something happens to her, or Force-forbid Cody, Rex will take care of their son. Of that she has no doubt. 

“Thank you, General,” Rex coughs to hide any emotion. Obi-Wan fixes him with a look. “Sorry, ma’am,” he corrects and smiles. “Obi-Wan.”

“That’s better,” she nods, patting Jinn against her as he finishes nursing and pulls away. “No need for any formalities here, Rex.”

“Force of habit,” he responds, straightening his sideways blacks and wrinkling his nose. He still looks a little pole-axed. She hopes Cody is bringing a cup of caf for him. “How’s the little one?”

“Hungry,” she watches Jinn’s face scrunch up into a tiny sneeze. Cataloging every new action, every little quirk. There’s so much to learn about him. “Probably in need of another nap, after this.”

“Sounds like we already have a lot in common then,” Rex says and he’s smiling. If he had any length of hair it would be mussed, she thinks. Small blessings for a close cut. Cody’s curls are a riot in the morning if he lets them have any length. She turns a hand through Jinn’s tiny dark strands and wonders if his will be the same. 

As though summoned, Cody walks back in, two steaming cups of caf in his hands and a knowing look at his wife. 

“Kix is on his way. Once he clears you, you can have anything you want,” he says pointedly, dropping one cup in Rex’s hand and taking a pull from the other. 

Obi-Wan can’t help a smirk. “See?” she whispers to Jinn. “I told you he’d be protective.”

Her husband doesn’t even blink. “Helix is shuttling over this morning. I told him to bring a few caches of tarine tea, a stack of data pads, and a change of clothes.” He raises an eyebrow. “Should I amend that request?”

“You are a blessing, darling,” Obi-Wan says quickly. Rex brings a hand up to press over his mouth and stifle a laugh. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Cody rolls his eyes, fond. “Flatter. Find someone else to manage your addiction, probably.”

“Hardly.” Cody sets his cup down and takes Jinn from her easily, bringing the baby to settle against his shoulder and rubs at his back gently until he belches. 

Obi-Wan watches with a detached sense of wonder. “You’re quite good at that,” she marvels. There’s a studied practice in the way Cody holds Jinn to him, his movements precise. He already looks the part of an experienced father. 

“He’s had plenty of practice,” Rex pipes up, slowly coming to life as he clings to his cup. “Lots of time in the crèche on Kamino.”

“I may have occasionally assisted in the crèche when assigned,” Cody corrects, wiping at Jinn’s mouth and swaddling him in his blanket. 

Rex snorts. “More like volunteered.”

“I didn't know there was a crèche on Kamino," Obi-Wan frowns, trying to reconcile the white, sterilized atmosphere of Tipoca City with the warmth of the Temple's crèche and failing. 

Cody shrugs, resigned and more than used to their unconventional upbringing. Once, it might have made him uncomfortable to talk about it in such stark terms, but he's changed so much in the past years. Healed, if Obi-Wan can chance to call it that. The past is more of a scar than an open wound. She's grateful for that. Still, there's no need to discuss it unnecessarily. 

"Well, you’ll have to teach me,” Obi-Wan offers, steering the conversation back to something that feels more grounded in the joy she feels this morning. Kamino and it's dark thoughts have no place here. They've moved beyond it.

She can feel the rumbles of hunger returning and hoping Kix will hurry up. She hopes he's bringing something hearty and sweet, not bland medical nutrition. Maybe she can persuade Cody to fetch something hot and non-rationed from the mess. Well, she knows she can. He’d fetch a kyber crystal from the caves of Ilum right now if she requested it. She just doesn’t know if they have anything less than bland rations and nutrition cubes onboard. 

“We can help each other,” Cody says, transferring Jinn back to her. "We're a team." He presses a kiss to her brow, one hand cupping her face and Obi-Wan can’t help her smile. She will never get used to how lucky she is to have him. 

To have all of them. 

Cody pulls away to reclaim his caf and join Rex against the wall. He walks to him with a smirk, dragging a hand through his brothers blonde hair and making him squawk indignantly. “Even this _di’kut_.”

Brothers, Obi-Wan thinks fondly. Jinn yawns against her chest and she settles with him, watching Rex reach out and playfully flick at his _ori’vod’s_ ear. Their usual banter feels her ears, familiar and comforting in its normalcy after turmoil from the past day. 

Family. _Aliit_. It’s what they are to each other. It’s what matters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finishing up the RC series, and I'm projecting some of my Darman and Etain feelings onto Obi-Wan and Cody.

**Author's Note:**

> riduur: spouse  
> cyare: beloved (affectionate)  
> ad’ika: child, little one


End file.
